Leon Rooke "The Woman Who Talked to Horses," and Barry Callaghan, "The Black Queen"

Canadian identity integrates Canadian humour. There are distinct and common themes that relate to the history of Canada described in articles and books from writers in Canada. There has been a series of humorous Canadian literature which has been branded as gentle satire. The definition of humour is that it is the kind of contemplation of incongruities of life and the artistic expression thereof. Some of the primary characteristics of Canadian humour include satire, parody and irony. The essay will give a comparison of two humorous Canadian literature by Leo Rooke about the woman who talked to horses and the Black Queen by Barry Callaghan.

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The story of the woman who talked to horses describes the story of Leon Rooke born in the Roanoke Rapids in the year 1934. He is a writer but refuses to get identified as one because he did not want to get associated with the racial politics of the southern part. Rooke states the influence of Martin Luther King singing "we shall overcome" which he says influenced his sense of loyalty to the region which ended up taking some of the ghost power in him. It is humorous how Rooke describes the singing to have a particular impact on him which is not expected. This is an incident of satire in that one could get provoked by an instance of singing hence changing their royalty which is such a big perspective of one's life.

Barry Callaghan uses an impressive and effective technique through the compact parable of the black queen concerning the aspect of growing older which she says is the way she transforms the current images to create a metaphor for the story. Barry says that he uses the images of Cuban heels. The couple's Victorian house as well as Queen Victoria in her widow's weeds to know what a story is actually about. It is humorous to describe stories using physical components of the surrounding which she says is effective to her as she is able to get a good picture of the happenings of a story. In this case, she says that the old houses were a symbol of the successful efforts that were used to preserve the past in the midst of change. It is evident that change has been happening and it is difficult to preserve some symbols for the same but Barry mentions that these old houses depicted the change in comparison with the current state. It is a type of humour belonging to irony which Barry uses in her stories.

Conclusion

Leon Rooke also describes that they moved from the United States to Victoria in British Columbia and he was known to be an American that adopted the Canadian West Coast at his home. It is during one time when he is acknowledged as a writer and his writing is appropriated by the national literary tradition that he claims allegiance with an international standard. He takes it as a great achievement that he had made it up to that far. It is humorous how he already wants to identify himself with International standards. On the other side, Barry uses a stamp of the black queen to become the controlling metaphor of the entire story as it is a symbol of unconscious mourning by the couple for the genteel past that has disappeared.